Installing Windows7 While on Ubuntu

doomgaze said:

Night Hawk said:

Hello doomgaze Welcome to the Seven Forums!

For replacing ubuntu with W7 you will need to remove the present partition if it is an extended type and not a primary type partition. Windows won't install onto an extended volume.

Most likely you could use the reformat option since it was likely a VFat primary ubuntu was installed to. To insure the best results however deletion of the present and using the drive tools found during the 7 setup will allow you to create a new NTFS primary. The separate option to format it is also seen.

If you allow the 7 installer to format you may see the 100mb system reserved boot partition in front of the C primary created as well. You can opt to boot live with the latest GParted and avoid that when seeing the new primary replace the old.

Thank you for the response before I go ahead I just want to check something:


I should be deleting the larger partition, correct?


It does not allow me to format, only to delete, should I still delete and it will format or something else?

The small 7.6gb partition seen there is a factory restoration partition for the version of Windows the laptop came with originally. If you have no plans to revert back to XP or Vista you would then simply wipe the entire drive to see one main primary created for a clean install of 7. A basic process.

And getting back to iseeuu, Understanding Disk Partitions

When advising someone not accustomed to custom installations... dual booting, etc. it's best to point them at Clean Install Windows 7

or Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

The guides here at SF are excellent resources since some good people put the time and effort into them over what you may run into in various blogs and the like.

Was the disk previously used to install 7 on anything else? If not you may have to see another full install or use the upgrade repair method leaving the automatic activation once online box unchecked and not entering the product key until you arrive at the desktop later.

This seems to be reoccuring problem while not seen the majority of the time since 7's initial release. Threads like this one, install says my product key is invalid
or Invalid Product Key?!
are not uncommon however.

Are you using a full version or upgrade disk? The second guide posted before explains a few things there if you are using upgrade media.

Geez y'all, all these posts and no-one gave him the easy way to do this, especially since he said there's nothing on the HDD he wants to save.



SSD / HDD : Optimize for Windows Reinstallation

Clean Install Windows 7

Here you go mate.


Clean Install with a Upgrade Windows 7 Version

Just want to add, you want to use option 3 of that tutorial.